Preserves & Condiments | This Dame Cooks

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Fig and Walnut Butter

Monday, September 14th, 2009

As a kid I disliked fig Newtons. I liked the fig filling well enough but not the cookie dough which seemed too sweet to me. In fact fig Newtons were practically nauseating to me for 30 years or more. It wasn’t until I had my own fig tree outside the backdoor of my Seattle cottage that I learned to love figs in a variety of compositions. I still have not acquired a taste for fig Newtons to this day. At any rate dried figs, sweet and sour figs, and fig butter with walnuts are just a few of the many ways I preserved the bounty of my fig tree.

This recipe is simply made in a crock pot with just sugar, walnuts, salt, cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon juice. The preserve is smooth with little crunchy fig seeds and the walnuts add a bit more texture and nutty flavor. Peeling the fresh figs will eliminate having to puree the cooked figs. However, the skins add color and richness to the butter and a handheld puree wand works great for this chore. A food mill or food processor will work just as well.

This butter is delightful on a biscuit or toast and great as a cake filling. An added bonus of figs is their diuretic and laxative qualities…much like prunes. Fresh figs are in season so get to cookin’ and fill your pantry with fig goodies. Fig and Walnut Butter will make a lovely holiday gift for any foodie on your list.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of fresh black or white figs, chopped, about 8 cups
2 cups of brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Method:

Place all ingredients except walnuts in a covered crock pot. Stir to combine. Set temperature to high and cook until bubbly.
Puree cooked figs in a food processor or use a hand-held puree wand.
Return figs to crock pot, add walnuts and set temperature to low. Cook uncovered until buttery smooth and thick enough to mound up on a spoon.
Sterilize glass jars, fill to 1/4 inch from rim with hot butter. Seal and place in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate once opened.

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Tags: fig and walnut butter, fig preserves, fruit butters
Posted in Preserves & Condiments | 1 Comment »

Crock Pot Apple Butter

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

Apple Butter Festivals reign supreme throughout the USA from September through the end of October. Washington state to Virginia, everyone is getting in the swing for mouth-watering comfort apple-butter. Maybe your great-great-grandma made apple-butter in a copper kettle over an outdoor fire or your great grandma made it in the oven and the whole house was apple fragrant for a week. We can now adays pretty much achieve the same quality and flavor cooking a batch of this smooth and creamy apple preserve in a crock pot. Its so simple. Once the apples are peeled, cored and chopped the crock pot does all the work. Sterilize jars and heat lids to preserve your finished product or fill freezer-safe containers. Nothing is as welcomed as a basket of homemade preserves for the holidays. If you are fortunate to have apple trees in your yard, make several batches and have a fundraiser for school or church. Your good neighbors will snap up every jar that you make. Note: use windfallen apples and be sure to compost the peels and cores.

Apple butter is perfect on toast, muffins, corn bread, crepes and makes a fabulous glaze for pork or ham roasts.

Ingredients for 5 quart Crock Pot:

3 quarts of apples, peeled cored and chopped
2 Tbsp of ground cinnamon
3 cups brown sugar, packed
1 tsp sea salt or canning salt

Method:

Place all ingredients in crock pot. Turn to high and cook until bubbly.
Turn temperature to low and cook until thick and creamy smooth, about 10 hours.
Taste from time to time for more cinnamon or sugar.
Fill sterilized jars within 1/4-inch of rim and seal.

Tags: apple butter, apple butter festivals, apples, crock pot apple butter, crock pot recipes, homemade gifts, Preserves
Posted in Preserves & Condiments | 5 Comments »

Hot Applesauce Cake

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Apples are just in season so get out the peeler and corer. You know what they say, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” There’s so much you can do with apples, besides Mom’s Apple Pie, there’s apple sauce, apple jelly, apple butter, apple tarts, baked apples, apple Waldorf salad, apple pancakes, apple muffins and the list goes on. This cake is so moist and perfectly divine with lemon curd or a light sprinkling of powdered sugar or a caramel sauce and pecans. But you have to start with quick and easy hot homemade apple sauce. It cooks in the microwave in just 10 minutes. No food mill necessary, just mash or blend the cooked apples to perfect sauce consistency.

You can double or triple the applesauce recipe and freeze or can the leftovers for other uses.

Apple sauce cake can be made in a loaf pan, flat rectangle pan or muffin tins. Adjust baking time accordingly.

More apple recipes tomorrow: Crock Pot Apple Butter and Apple Muffins

Ingredients for Microwave Apple Sauce:

8 apples, Jonathan, Winesap or Granny Smith
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Butter
3 Tbsp honey

Method:

Peel, core and chop apples. Place in microwave safe dish with a cover.
Add lemon juice, butter and honey. Toss.
Cover with lid partially so steam can escape. Cook on high for 8-10 minutes, stirring once.
Blend or mash and use in the following recipe for Hot Apple Sauce Cake.

Ingredients for Hot Apple Sauce Cake:

2-1/4 cup Hot applesauce
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
3/4 cup pecans
1 cup raisins

Method:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9-inch bundt pan.
Mix all ingredients together. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 50-55 minutes or until tests done.
Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.
Serve warm with topping of choice.

Note: Nuts and raisins are optional.

Tags: apple cake, apple sauce, apples, microwave apple sauce
Posted in Pies, Cakes & Cookies, Preserves & Condiments | No Comments »

Sun-dried Cherry Tomatoes in Basil Oil

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Drying tomatoes in the dessert sun is super economical and far more comfortable than turning on the oven in the kitchen when it’s 108° F. outside. The process is simple and safe…the results are as good as store-bought and you know who, in what, and where they came from. Sun-dried fruits and vegetables are intensely flavorful and healthy so long as they’re not treated with chemical preservatives. The only thing drying does is evaporate the water content…the vitamins and flavors are still there and undiluted.

Cherry tomatoes are perfect for drying in the sun. They’re sweet, small and only need to be washed and sliced in half, placed on a screen or rack and covered with a single-layer of thin mesh or cheese cloth. I used the mesh bag the tomatoes came in, split it up the side with sizzors and placed it over the cut tomatoes to protect them from bugs, which are rare in the midday heat of the dessert. When the tomatoes are dry but still rubbery they’re ready to dress and preserve in oil. You can add whatever herbs you’re fond of and olive oil or a combination of canola oil and olive oil. If you add salt, dissolve it in a little lemon juice first or crush it with cloves of garlic before adding to the jar.

For best storage, pack in 8 oz. sterilized jars, pour hot oil up to 1/2-inch from rim and immediately seal. Store in a cool dry pantry for 1 week before using. Refrigerate when opened and use within 6 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using. Use sun-dried tomatoes in salads, soups, sandwiches, hors d’eouvres and antipasto.

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh ripe cherry tomatoes
6 or 7 dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp sea salt in 1 tsp lemon juice
1 clove of garlic bruised
1/4 tsp dried pepper flakes
1/3 cup of olive oil

Method:

Wash tomatoes and slice in half. Place on a icing screen or cake rack. Make sure air can flow under the rack.
Cover tomatoes with a single layer of cheesecloth and place in direct sunlight for the day.
If tomatoes are not dry and rubbery by night-fall, remove tomatoes to indoors overnight.
Turn each tomato half over and place back in the sun the following day.
Pack dried, rubbery tomatoes in a sterile 8 oz. jar. Add crushed garlic, salt, basil and pepper flakes.
Heat oil to hot but not smoking and pour into jar up to 1/2 inch from top rim. With a skewer or knife move the contents around a bit to release any air bubbles. Wipe the rim and seal immediately.

Tags: how to dry tomatoes, Italian condiments, preserving cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes
Posted in Preserves & Condiments | 2 Comments »

Banana Jam

Monday, June 8th, 2009

banana-jam

When you live in the tropics bananas probably grow right outside your door. Stalks of bananas can weigh 20-40 pounds depending upon the variety. There are fingerling sizes, export sizes that you see in supermarkets, and there are plantain sized bananas that grow in various shapes. Polynesians and West Indians of the Caribbean cook green bananas in coconut milk for a starchy side dish. Over ripe bananas can be stewed with coconut milk and served as a hot drink. Bananas are also used in more traditional baking of pies, cakes, breads, muffins, pancakes, and eaten out of hand.

Never to let food go to waste, I made lots of jam from bananas while living in the South Pacific. My first batches were rather dismal. The bananas disinegrated in the long-cook-method and the resulting color was a muddy brown. Adding pectin to shorten the cooking time required too much sugar making the jam overly sweet and obliterating the banana flavor.

I found a recipe in Down-Island Caribbean Cookery, 1991, by Virginie and George Elbert. The recipe begins with a vanilla bean and a heavy sugar syrup and 20-25 minutes of cooking with the bananas. I still wasn’t happy with the resulting jam so I tweaked the method to shorten the cooking time and ended up with a pale yellow, chunky banana jam… just what I wanted…with lots of banana flavor and undertones of vanilla. Try this recipe for breakfast or spread it on a pbj sandwich.

Ingredients:

6 firm ripe bananas, sliced 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick ( 3-3/4 cups)
2 limes, juiced
1 cup water
3 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
1 tsp banana extract (optional, or just a few drops will do)

Method:

Place bananas in a bowl, pour lime juice over and toss to coat.
In a stainless steel pot, boil sugar and water until sugar dissolves.
Add vanilla bean and continue boilng until syrup coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes
Add banana and lime mixture. When it once again comes to a boil, reduce heat to a lively simmer. Stir occasionally so the bananas will not sink to the bottom. Skim off any foam that rises to the top.
Check for jellying stage by dropping a 1/2 tsp of jam onto a cold saucer and refrigerate for a minute. Or use a candy thermometer and this handy altitude table.
If the jam has jellied, remove pot from heat, remove vanilla bean, and stir in banana extract.
Ladle jam into hot sterilized jars up to 1/4 inch from rim. Seal immediately.
Process in a Boiling Water Bath for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
Check that lids have sealed. Store in cool dark pantry for 1 week to ripen before using. Refrigerate after opening.